


You've never seen a Yale student more in need of a break

by Mycroffed



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Eliot is a farm hand, Ficwip5k, M/M, No Brakebills, Q is a Yale student
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:09:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25673353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mycroffed/pseuds/Mycroffed
Summary: After breaking down in the middle of a lecture, Julia convinced Q that he needs a break. So he leaves on a road trip, planning on going to LA.But who knows where this will bring him.(The title comes from 'Say No to This' from Hamilton. Well, more or less anyway.)
Relationships: Quentin Coldwater/Eliot Waugh
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24
Collections: #ficwip 5k





	You've never seen a Yale student more in need of a break

**Author's Note:**

> This is written for FandomWIP, where they posed the challenge to write an AU in 5k or less. This is what I came up with.
> 
> My soul is fueled by kudos and comments!

A road trip. There was nothing as calming to him as driving for hours with no company but the songs on the radio. The reason behind all of this? Quentin Coldwater hadn’t realised just how stressed out he’d been until he’d fainted during a lecture one day. When he’d woken up again in the ER of the local hospital, they’d told him that he was not only thoroughly sleep deprived (he’d known that already), but also malnourished. He had told them that that was the life of a student, to which the nurse had said that really, it shouldn’t be. They’d eventually sent him home, where Julia had made it very clear that he had to take a break, at least a week long, before she’d tolerate them in the apartment that they shared again.

So here he was, driving from New York to Los Angeles. He’d hired a car for this journey because who needed a car in New York City? Half of the time, it was impossible to find a parking spot and the other half of the time, it’d only get stolen, vandalised or ruined by drunk partiers. The car was decent enough for what he was trying to do. It drove fast enough, the brakes worked, and the radio managed to get more stations than he knew what to do with.

He was in the second day of his travel west, having just passed through Indianapolis. He’d stopped in the city for lunch (he’d sent photographic proof of that to Julia, who’d sent him many drooling emojis in return), then moved onwards. For the last hour or so, he hadn’t seen much more besides fields either filled with animals like cows and horses, or with wheat, or corn. It was beautiful to look at and very, _very_ different from the city he was used to, but he couldn’t imagine actually living here. At least not yet.

He hadn’t been counting on stopping here, so as his car started sputtering and came to a stuttering halt, he frustratingly punched his steering wheel. (And then immediately regretted it, because now the car had broken down _and_ his hand hurt.) After taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm down again, he tried to start the car again.

And again.

And yet _again_.

Quentin couldn’t seem to get it running again.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. “Shit, shit, shit, _shit.”_

It was at that point that he remembered that he had a phone that he could use to call for help. He unlocked it, his hand hovering over the ‘Call Julia’ button, but then he realised that he had no reception. Which of course he didn’t. He was stuck in the middle of nowhere and he couldn’t call anyone for help.

“Shit,” he mumbled again, before he practically slammed his face into his steering wheel. “Okay, okay. I will just have to go look for help. There must be a farm nearby and maybe I’ll be able to call from there.” He paused. “And now I’m talking to myself.”

Quentin grumbled something else, before opening his door and stepping outside. After slamming the door shut, he stretched. (After all, he’d been sitting for quite a while, and maybe his posture hadn’t been the greatest. He would deny this to the end of time.) He glanced around, hoping to find something, _someone_ to ask for help.

Of course, there was nothing.

Well, he’d have to go for a walk then. He locked the car, patted the hood of it for just a moment, then started to walk in the direction that he came from. If he remembered correctly, he’d seen a farm about ten minutes by car back, which meant that he’d probably be able to reach that in an hour or two. Maybe three.

After a dramatic sigh, he started walking.

In the end, his estimation hadn’t been that far off: in about two hours and ten minutes, he’d reached the farm that he’d remembered. Quentin sighed, which was both a mix of exhaustion as well as relief. With sore feet, he walked towards the main building of the farm. He stopped in the middle of the courtyard that’d been created by three different buildings.

“Hello?” He called out, hoping that _someone_ was there. “Hello! Is there anyone here?”

Out of the barn popped a head, soon followed by the rest of a body. The guy was lanky, yet tall, and the dark curls on top of his head stood in every direction. His tanned skin was all the proof that Quentin needed to know that this man worked outside a lot. And on top of that, he was hot, even underneath all the grime and dirt. “Yes?”

“Hi,” Quentin smiled nervously, as he quickly flattened down his hair. “I’m Quentin Coldwater, my car broke down a little further down the road. I don’t have reception, could I please use your phone?”

“Uh.” The guy glanced backwards into the barn, then back to Q. “Sure. Let me quickly finish what I started and then I’ll show you where the phone is.”

“Thank you,” Quentin sighed in relief.

“Of course,” the black-haired man said, right before he disappeared back into the barn.

While he waited for the other to return, Q glanced around. The buildings were clearly kept in order, kept clean. The owners (or the people who lived here) cared about this place, that much was clear. He took another step forward when a dog stormed out of the house, rushing towards him. A panicked noise of alarm escaped him as he stepped backwards.

Before he could get out of the dog’s reach, he jumped up against him, causing Q to fall backwards onto the ground, with the dog on top of him. For a moment, it seemed like the Labrador was going to start barking loudly at him, but then his tongue was suddenly moving across his face, causing Quentin to laugh. With slobber all over his face, he tried to push himself up a little, so that he could reach the dog’s ears, scratching behind them.

The man from before came running out of the barn, looking pretty alarmed, but he clearly relaxed as soon as he realised what was happening. “I’ve never seen him do that before,” he smiled. “Usually he just starts barking until the stranger leaves or we tell him off.”

“Maybe he knows—” He had to stop for a second in order to avoid dog spit in his mouth. “Maybe he knows I’m not a threat?” Q laughed as he slowly tried to move away from the dog.

“Down, Jack.” The dog paused his licking, then looked up at the farm hand and darted over towards him.

This gave Quentin the chance to get up on his feet again. He tried to wipe some of the slobber off of his face, but this only resulted in a dirty hand as well.

“I’ll- show you the way to the kitchen,” the stranger said. “I’m Eliot, by the way.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eliot.” Quentin said, delighted to finally put a name to the gorgeous man that was offering him help. “And thank you. I really appreciate you helping me.”

“It’s the least I can do after my dog slobbered all over you.” Eliot smiled, before gesturing at his new friend and making his way over towards the house. He opened the door for the pair of them, but before either of them could walk in, Jack had darted in, disappearing into one of the other rooms. “Jack’s a really loving boy, but he just …” The farm hand sighed softly. “He’s a little too energetic sometimes. Especially when meeting someone new. He either ends up barking up at them, or apparently jumping up against them until they’re on the ground.”

“I really didn’t mind, Eliot,” Quentin said. “He seems like a wonderful dog.” What he wasn’t about to add was that it was the closest to a kiss he’d gotten in quite a while.

“Oh, he absolutely is,” El replied, before he walked in the direction of the kitchen. “I’ll get you a towel for your face. If you want to, you can take a shower here.”

“Thank you, but no thank you. I’m sure that just a little bit of water and a towel will solve this problem completely.” Q really didn’t want to impose himself upon this lovely man. He was already very grateful for the help.

With a nod, Eliot walked towards one of the cupboards, reached for one of the towels there, then handed it over to his new friend. “Where has your car crashed, exactly? I can drive you there after we call the towing service. I’ve completed most of the work I have to do today, that way you won’t have to walk back.”

“Thank you. I drove by your farm ten minutes before my car crashed, but it took me a little over two hours to get here.” He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous tick that he’d picked up years ago and which had only gotten worse now that he’d started studying at Yale. “I don’t think my feet can handle another trek like that.”

“Which direction did you come from?”

Quentin pointed in the direction where he’d left his car, before using the towel to dry his face. “It’s a hired car, so I should be able to call the breaking down service of the rental company.”

Eliot’s eyes widened in surprise. “You don’t have your own car?”

“I’m originally from New York, I don’t really need one. I share an apartment with my best friend nearby our campus in New Haven, and if I need to go anywhere else, I go on foot.” Q shrugged nonchalantly. He couldn’t imagine needing a car to do your daily business. “But I think I can understand you would need one. I haven’t really seen anything within ten minutes driving from here.”

“You’re from New York?” Somehow, Eliot’s eyes managed to get even wider than before.

“Uh.” Quentin didn’t really know what to say to that. “Yes? I don’t live there at the moment, but yes. I am originally from New York, and I’m planning on returning there after I graduate.”

“I’ve never been to New York before,” The farm hand said, and Q could absolutely imagine that. But he had a feeling that he would fit in well in New York, with a few new outfits. (But then again, that was a rather selfish thought, since he sort of wanted Eliot there.

“You should come for a visit, then. If you can get away from here, that is.” Q offered. “I’m sure that Julia wouldn’t mind if you were to come and stay for a few days.”

He barely knew this guy, why was he inviting him to come and visit him again?

“Oh, I don’t think that’s a very good idea.” Eliot stopped himself from saying anything else, before he changed the subject. “Do you have a phone number for the rental service?”

“Right, yes!” Q dug into his pockets, got out his wallet and went looking for the card that had been handed to him in New York. Once he’d found it, he handed it over to Eliot. “There. And once again, thank you for doing this for me.”

“As I mentioned, it’s the least I can do.” Eliot glanced at the card, then grabbed the phone and typed in the number. “What’s your full name? Any other information I should share with them?”

“Quentin Coldwater, and probably the number plate of the car? Hold on, I’ve got it written down somewhere?” He quickly handed over the other card he’d gotten with a hand-written number plate on it.

Eliot took that as well, nodded and rung the number. As he started pacing, Q decided that he’d give him the chance to call in peace. (He was glad that he wouldn’t have to call. The mere idea of having to call anyone was already stressing him out. Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised that the doctors had told him that he was too stressed.) He made his way over towards the sofa, sat down on it and waited.

He started fidgeting, getting out a small tsum tsum out of his pocket. He’d found that in a lecture hall one day and hadn’t parted with it since. He didn’t know why he kept it, but he’d gotten quite attached to that little figure of Eeyore. He lost track of time as he twisted it between his fingers, over and over, making it appear and disappear. It wasn’t as easy to do magic trick with as a coin, but it was a good exercise for him.

Before he knew it, Eliot had appeared in front of him again, smiling triumphantly. “They’ll be here in about an hour or so.”

“Oh, that’s great. Thank you so much.” He got up, pocketed the tsum tsum and pulled Eliot in for a hug. This was more than he could’ve expected from a stranger. “I probably would’ve been stuck here for ages if it weren’t for you.”

A quick pat from Eliot on the back, and the other pulled away again. “Let me just drive you back to your car, then you can wait there in peace.” Eliot already started to make his way towards the front door once again. “You comin’?”

Quentin got up, then quickly followed him. “You’re sure that you can leave this place alone for a bit?”

“Oh yes, my siblings are around here, they will cover for me,” Eliot reassured him. “Besides, I’ll be back in half an hour or so.”

Once again, Q nodded. “Guide the way, then.”

The pair of them made their way outside, to the pick-up truck that was parked a little way away. They got into the car and Eliot turned on the exact same radio that Q had been listening to before. Quentin’s head quickly bounced along with the music, while Eliot soon sang along.

That man had the voice of an angel, Q thought. He could listen to him forever. It was almost a shame that they would have to say goodbye soon.

Most of the car-ride was passed in silence, apart from Eliot’s singing, of course, and it was over way too soon. Eliot had parked the car right next to Q’s car, looking at the Yale student. Unable to read his expression, Quentin simply looked right back.

“Uh. I think it’s time for us to say goodbye?” Eliot said and for a moment, Q was sure that he could only hear regret.

“Yeah. We could exchange phone numbers, if you’d like. That way you can call me if you want to come over and visit New York City some day,” Q was already getting out his phone.

“Yes,” Eliot’s response was too eager, but neither of them seemed to really mind. “I would love that.”

With a soft little smile, Q rattled off his phone number as soon as Eliot had gotten out his own. “Just call or text me whenever. I’ll reply to you, no matter what I’m doing.”

Eliot typed out a message, pressed ‘sent’ and waited expectantly. When there was no message notification, he frowned a little. “You really don’t have any reception here. Well, you’ll see it later, then.”

Q nodded, after pocketing his phone. “Well, I guess that this is goodbye?”

The farm hand nodded slowly, as if he didn’t want it to be. “I’d love to get to know you a little better. Please text me once you get home?”

“I promise.” Q smiled.

For a moment the two of them just stared at each other, smiling, and then Q got out of the truck. As Eliot drove away, he couldn’t help but smile, hoping that the other’s text would come in soon.

\--~--

Once he was in the next city, Quentin got Eliot’s text.

**From: Unknown – 1:47 p.m.**

Hey I just met you

And this is crazy

But here’s my number

So call me maybe.

**To: Eliot – 8:39 p.m.**

Are you free?

**From: Eliot – 8:42 p.m.**

Always.


End file.
